Retractable latching mechanism

ABSTRACT

A retractable latch mechanism including a center body having a cavity therein, the center body being disposed within a frame structure to pivot between an operative position and a nonoperative position. The mechanism also includes a pintle member which has a latch portion at one end thereof and is disposed through a bore in a guide member, the pintle and guide guide members being movable through an opening in the frame structure between a retracted position within the center body cavity and a raised position partially through the frame opening when the center body is in the operative position. When the pintle and guide members are in the raised position the center body may be pivoted to its non-operative position to lock the mechanism in the raised position and the pintle member may be pivoted between an unlatched position and a latched position.

United States Patent Lapaich [451 Aug. 8, 1972 [S4] RETRACTABLE LATCHINGMECHANISM [72] Inventor: Michael W. Lapaich, Rolling Prairie,

Ind.

[73] Assignee: Clark Equipment Company [22] Filed: 10, 1971 [21] Appl.No.: 96,711

7/ 1967 Coulson ..248/ 361 X Primary Examiner-Chancellor E. HarrisAttorney-Kenneth C. Witt, John C. Wiessler, Robert H. Johnson and LewisJ. Llamm ABSTRACT A retractable latch mechanism including a center bodyhaving a cavity therein, the center body being disposed within a framestructure to pivot between an operative position and a non-operativeposition. The mechanism also includes a pintle member which has a latchportion at one end thereof and is disposed through a bore in a guidemember, the pintle and guide guide members being movable through anopening in the frame structure between a retracted position within thecenter body cavity and a raised position partially through the frameopening when the center body is in the operative position. When thepintle and guide members are in the raised position the center body maybe pivoted to its non-operative position to lock the mechanism in theraised position and the pintle'member may be pivoted between anunlatched position and a latched position.

9 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures PATENTEDAUGBIBYZ 3.682.432

38 FIG. I 45 lQ 40/|o FIG. 2 FIG. 38 l0 l4 I6. 42% 43 F164 F165 A8 .0

INVENTOR MICHAEL W. LAPAICH fim 6. Edit ATTORNEY RETRACTABLE LATCHINGMECHANISM BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention is particularlyadaptable for use in latching shipping containers to conveyances such assemi-trailer chassis which are adapted to be pulled over the highway orto railroad cars, but it is adaptable for other purposes as well. Onvehicles which are constructed to handle shipping containers it isfrequently desirable to have a latching mechanism which projectsupwardly above the floor of the conveyance only during the time that itis being used to latch a container to the conveyance, and which may beretracted below the surface of such floor at other times so that thelatching mechanism will not interfere with the placing of other types ofcargo on the conveyance.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In carrying out my invention in one preferredform thereof, I provide a retractable latching mechanism which includesa frame support having an opening through one side thereof and a centerbody having a cavity therein, the center body being disposed within theframe and pivotal between an operative position and a non-operativeposition. A pintle member which has a latch portion at one end thereofis disposed through a bore in a guide member and thev pintle and guidemembers are movable through the opening in the frame between a retractedposition within the center body cavity and a raised position partiallythrough the frame opening when the center body is in the operativeposition. When the pintle and guide members are in the raised positionthe center body may be pivoted to its non-operative position to lock themechanism in the raised position and the pintle member may be pivotedbetween an unlatched position and a latched position.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Inthe drawing the retractable latch mechanism of this invention isindicated generally by the numeral 10. As shown, mechanism is mountedupon and partially within a bolster member indicated by the numeral 12,however it will be understood that the latch mechanism of this inventionis not limited to use with such a bolster member and that the mechanismmay be mounted on any suitable frame support or other structural member.Reference to frame hereinafter and in some of the claims is intended tocover any such suitable frame support.

the latching The components of the latch mechanism are perhaps mostreadily apparent in FIG. 1 of the drawing which shows mechanism 10in theraised and latched position adapted to secure a container (not shown) tothe frame 12. The upper side 14 of frame 12 has an elongated opening 16therethrough (FIG. 2) whose transverse dimension is selected to begreater than its longitudinal dimension and the frame lower side 18 hasan opening 20 therethrough substantially in vertical alignment withupper side opening 16. Disposed between frame upper side 14 and lowerside 18 is a center body 22 having means such as a handle (not shown)for pivoting the center body between a non-operative position asillustrated in FIG. 1 and an operative position as illustrated in FIG.2. Center body 22 has a bottom plate 24 with an opening 26 thereinsimilar to frame opening 20 and also has side walls 28 and end walls 30(only one shown) connected to the bottom plate to form a rectangular boxlike structure with a cavity 32 therein. Center body side walls 28 areof a selected length greater than thelength of end walls 30 and thecenter body is .open at its top to provide a cavity aperture 34, whichin this embodiment has the same length and width dimensions as cavity32. A vertically disposed pintle member 36 passes loosely through lowerwall opening 20, center body opening 26, and upper wall opening 16 andhas a latch head portion 38 at the upper end thereof which may be formedintegrally with the pintle member, but in any event is rigidly securedthereto. Pintle member 36 also passes loosely through a bore 40 disposedin a guide member 42 and a washer or other suitable means 44 isconnected to the pintle so that the guide member is carried by thepintle adjacent latch head 38. The transverse and longitudinaldimensions of guide member 42 are selected to allow the guide member toreciprocate through upper wall opening 16 and are also selected relativeto thedimensions of aperture 34 to allow the guide member and the pintlemember to be moved through aperture 34 between theraised position shownin FIG. 3 and the retracted position shown in FIG. 2 when the centerbody is in its operative position, in which position the center bodyside walls 28 are substantially parallel to the transverse side 43 ofthe guide member (FIG. 3). It will now be recognized that when centerbody 22 is pivoted to the non-operative position shown in FIG. 1 in theshape of aperture 34 relative to the shape of guide member 42 is suchthat the guide member lower surface 46 may abut the upper ends of thecenter body walls, thereby not allowing the guide member to move throughaperture 34 and hence locking the mechanism in the raised position. Asecond washer or other suitablemeans 48 is carried by pintle member 36near the lower end thereof and is adapted to abut the lower side 18 offrame 12 when the pintle is raised a distance sufficient to move guidemember 42 above aperture 34 while still maintaining the lower portion ofthe guide member within the confines of opening 16. With a portion ofguide member 42 remaining within opening 16 the walls of the opening mayengage the sides of the guide member to limit its rotation when pintle36' is pivoted within bore 40. A handle 50 is connected to the lower endof pintle member 36 to provide means for pivoting the pintle memberabout its vertical axis and also provide means for raising and loweringthe pintle and the guide member when the latch mechanism components areproperly positioned. A hook 52 is pivotally connected to frame 12through a pin 54 and is adapted to be received between parallel plates56 and 58 (FIG. 2) extending outwardly from center body 22 when it isdesired to secure center body 22 in the non-operative position. A secondhook 60 connected to frame 12 is adapted to engage a selected link of achain 62 connected at one end thereof to handle 50 to provide means forsecuring pintle member 36 in the latched position.

In order that one skilled in the art may more fully understand the formand function of my invention, I will now explain its operation.Referring specifically to FIG. 2, latch mechanism is illustrated in theretracted position wherein center body 22 is in its operative positionand guide member 42 and pintle member 36 are retracted below frame upperside 14 to a position within center body cavity 32. When it is desiredto operate the latch mechanism to latch a container on to frame 12, thepintle member 36 and the guide member 42 carried thereby are movedupward through frame opening 16 to the raised position illustrated inFIG. 3, preferably by grasping handle 50 and lifting it verticallyupward. In the raised position illustrated in FIG. 3 guide member 43extends completely above aperture 34 so that center body 22 may now bepivotedabout pintle member 36 through approximately 90 to thenon-operative position illustrated in FIG. 4, thereby locking mechanism10 in the raised position. When mechanism 10 is in such raised position,hook 52 may be received between projections 56 and 58 to secure centerbody 22 in the non-operative position and guide member 42 may guide andposition a container (not shown) as it is lowered on to frame 12.Finally, handle 50 may be moved through an angle of approximately 90horizontally to pivot the latch portion 38 to the latching positionillustrated in FIG. 5 and an appropriate link of the chain 62 may beengaged by second hook 60 to secure the mechanism in the latchedposition. During such pivoting of the pintle member between theunlatched and latched position the guide member 42 will be restrainedfrom horizontal rotation by engagement of its side surfaces with thewalls of opening 16 and it will be understood that in the latchedposition illustrated in FIG. 5 the latch portion 38 may be utilized tosecure a container to frame member 12. If further information is desiredas to the manner in which such latching is accomplished reference may behad to U.S. Pat No. 2,963,310, particularly to FIGS. 8 through 11 ofsuch patent, which illustrate the operation of a similar latch portionforming a part of a non-retractable latch mechanism.

It will be appreciated that the latch mechanism may be returned from thelatched position to the unlatched position, and then to the retractedposition, by following the reverse of the procedure heretoforedescribed. To perform such reverse procedure it is necessary only todisengage chain 62 from book 60 and move handle 50 to the unlatchedposition illustrated in FIG. 4; disengage hook 52 from projections 56and 58 and pivot center body 22 to the operative position illustrated inFIG. 3; and finally move the pintle member and guide member to theretracted position illustrated in FIG. 2.

While I have described and illustrated herein a preferred embodiment ofmy invention in accordance with the statutes, it will be appreciatedthat modifications may be made. Therefore, it should be understood thatI intend to cover by the appended claims all such modifications whichfall within the true spirit and scope of my invention.

Iclaim:

l. A retractable latch mechanism comprising:

a frame support having a first side and a first opening through saidfirst side,

a center body having a cavity therein, said center body disposed on oneside of said first side and pivotal about an axis substantiallyperpendicular to said first side between an operative position and anon-operative position,

a guide member having a bore therethrough, said guide member movable insaid first opening between aretracted position within said cavity and araised position partially through said first opening when said centerbody is in said operative posi-. tion, and

a pintle member disposed through said bore and having a latch portion atone end thereof, said pintle member being movable with said guide memberbetween said retracted position and said raised position and also beingpivotal within said bore between an unlatched position and a latchedposition when said guide member is in said raised position.

2. A retractable latch mechanism as specified in claim 1 wherein saidcenterbody has an aperture therein in communication with said cavity,said aperture having a shape selected relatively to the shape of saidguide member to provide means for allowing said guide member to movethrough said aperture when said centerbody is in said operative positionand for not allowing said guide member to move through said aperturewhen said centerbody is in said non-operative position.

3. A retractable latch mechanism as specified in claim 2 wherein aportion of said guide member remains within said first opening when saidguide member is in said raised position and wherein the shape of saidfirst opening is selected relative to the shape of said guide member tolimit the rotation of said guide member relative to said frame when saidpintle member is pivoted within said bore.

4. A retractable latch mechanism as specified in claim 3 and includingmeans for maintaining said guide member adjacent said latch portion ofsaid pintle member.

5. A retractable latch mechanism as specified in claim 4 wherein saidframe support includes a second side apart from said first side, saidcenter body being disposed between said first and second sides and saidsecond side having a second opening therein, said pintle member passingthrough said second opening, said cavity, and said first opening whensaid pintle member is in said raised position.

6. A retractable latch mechanism as specified in claim 5 and includingmeans for limiting the movement of said pintle member through said firstopening as said pintle member is moved toward said raised position.

7. A retractable latch mechanism as specified in claim 6 wherein saidmeans for limiting is a washer connected to said pintle member andadapted to abut said second side when said pintle member is in saidraised position.

8. A retractable latch mechanism as specified in claim 7 and includingmeans for moving said guide member and said pintle member between saidretracted

1. A retractable latch mechanism comprising: a frame support having afirst side and a first opening through said first side, a center bodyhaving a cavity therein, said center body disposed on one side of saidfirst side and pivotal about an axis substantially perpendicular to saidfirst side between an operative position and a non-operative position, aguide member having a bore therethrough, said guide member movable insaid first opeNing between a retracted position within said cavity and araised position partially through said first opening when said centerbody is in said operative position, and a pintle member disposed throughsaid bore and having a latch portion at one end thereof, said pintlemember being movable with said guide member between said retractedposition and said raised position and also being pivotal within saidbore between an unlatched position and a latched position when saidguide member is in said raised position.
 2. A retractable latchmechanism as specified in claim 1 wherein said centerbody has anaperture therein in communication with said cavity, said aperture havinga shape selected relatively to the shape of said guide member to providemeans for allowing said guide member to move through said aperture whensaid centerbody is in said operative position and for not allowing saidguide member to move through said aperture when said centerbody is insaid non-operative position.
 3. A retractable latch mechanism asspecified in claim 2 wherein a portion of said guide member remainswithin said first opening when said guide member is in said raisedposition and wherein the shape of said first opening is selectedrelative to the shape of said guide member to limit the rotation of saidguide member relative to said frame when said pintle member is pivotedwithin said bore.
 4. A retractable latch mechanism as specified in claim3 and including means for maintaining said guide member adjacent saidlatch portion of said pintle member.
 5. A retractable latch mechanism asspecified in claim 4 wherein said frame support includes a second sideapart from said first side, said center body being disposed between saidfirst and second sides and said second side having a second openingtherein, said pintle member passing through said second opening, saidcavity, and said first opening when said pintle member is in said raisedposition.
 6. A retractable latch mechanism as specified in claim 5 andincluding means for limiting the movement of said pintle member throughsaid first opening as said pintle member is moved toward said raisedposition.
 7. A retractable latch mechanism as specified in claim 6wherein said means for limiting is a washer connected to said pintlemember and adapted to abut said second side when said pintle member isin said raised position.
 8. A retractable latch mechanism as specifiedin claim 7 and including means for moving said guide member and saidpintle member between said retracted position and said raised positionand for pivoting said pintle member between said unlatched position. 9.A retractable latch mechanism as specified in claim 8 and includingmeans for securing said center body in said non-operative position andmeans for securing said pintle member in said latched position.